The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Fears

  • Fears as UNIMAID reopens

    Fears as UNIMAID reopens

    Despite the security challenges in Borno State, the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) has been re-opened for a new session. But there are fears as students return to school, reports TAIWO ISOLA (400-Level Human Anatomy).

    While the sound of guns and bombs still booms in some parts of the Northeast, the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) in Borno State – the epicentre of Boko Haram insurgency – has been re-opened for the 2014/2015 academic session.

    The school was re-opened after about three months holiday. Students have been returning to school, but many are nursing fears about their safety on campus, having found themselves in-between crossfire by soldiers and the insurgents. They lost some colleagues in the process.

    The grenade thrown into the campus by Boko Haram fighters last March is still fresh in their minds. The soldiers responded to the attack, firing several shots. Bombs and stray bullets hit some buildings on the campus. There was panic as students ran helter-skelter. A student was hit and died.

    In July, there was a similar incident, in which some hostels were damaged by bombs.

    With memories of these incidents still fresh, some students may delay their return for safety reasons.

    A sophomore student, Aliyu Saidu, said: “Returning to school is risky, given the experience we had last semester. After hours of lectures and class activities, we expected a peaceful rest but the occasional explosions and gunshots from neighbouring communities disturbed our rest. There were midnight bomb blasts and daylight attacks that disturbed the peace on campus. Returning to school in haste would be tantamount to desperation.”

    James Agwu has just been admitted into the university. He is praying that the insurgency should end for him to complete his four-year course. Arriving on the campus last Thursday, James was surprised to see many students.

    “I was surprised when I saw students in their numbers on campus. I thought the insecurity in the state would discourage students from returning but I was wrong. It is as if nothing is happening and it appears students have accepted the insurgency as part of life,” he said.

    But, for some students, the last experience left a psychological effect on them.

    Emeka Uchenna, a graduating student of Chemical Engineering, said: “It was when I left Maiduguri that I understood that some things are not normal. I had thought living in the crisis-ridden Maiduguri was normal until I travelled out of the town for the break. A bang makes my heart skip and my body shaky. I now respond to loud sounds with fear. This has become a psychological action for me.”

    Halima Mohammed’s greatest fear is the 2015 general elections. She said: “If they said the insecurity is about politics, then I have fears that 2015 general elections may breed more violence in the state. For a city like Maiduguri, next year’s election is going to be a defining time. If the outcome of the elections turns out to be what certain people did not anticipate, we could witness more violence in the state and this is my worry.”

    Because of the insurgency, Ayodeji Hamzat, a 300-Level Accountancy student, planned to continue his study elsewhere but his was futile because of his inability to secure inter-university transfer. He has given up; he returned to the campus with mixed feelings.

    “I have already given up on my transfer attempt. I will finish my studies here in Maiduguri,” he said. Asked how he would cope with the security challenges, he said: “I cannot go and write another matriculation examination because I have gone too far in my studies.”

    Only God can protect students, Victor Mshelia said.  “When explosions rock neighbouring communities, where will students run to? It is a moment one looks up to his Creator. My fear is that the insurgents may launch an offensive against Maiduguri and, by extension, UNIMAID. When this happens, divine protection is all we need to survive,” he said.

    In his words, Idris Suleiman, a member of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), said: “We plead that the government find a lasting solution to the insurgents. The remedial approach by the government to resolve the crisis has yielded nothing. We plead for a peaceful and an enabling environment that is conducive for learning.”

  • Fears over foreign exchange reserves

    Analysts at FBN Capital have said the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN’s) expectations of foreign exchange reserves increase to about $45 billion by year-end may not be realised.

    The reserves have come under pressure in recent months over declining oil prices and need to support the naira. The reserves stood at $39 billion on October 23, and were at $39.56 billion on September 26, down 0.15 per cent from the previous month, data from the CBN showed.

    Reserves stood at $39.62 billion in August and were $45.66 billion in September last year.

    Further analysis showed that reserves which were at $39.65 billion on August 25 and was at $38.4 billion on July 17. The rate of accretions to the reserves has been marginal but consistent since the CBN reviewed the bureau de change (BDC) policy guidelines.

    FBN Capital said the apex bank uses administrative measures to support its exchange-rate agenda. It said the mandatory recapitalisation of bureaux de change to stem leakages is one of such measures.

    According to the firm, the fall in the international price of Nigeria’s benchmark Bonny Light crude to about $95/barrel has fuelled fears that the CBN will be unable to hold the line on the naira exchange rate.

    “There remains a cushion of close to $20/barrel above the assumed export price in the 2014 budget although in reality pressures in the market develop far more quickly, which we can detect from the reluctance of offshore portfolio investors to participate in the most recent auctions of Federal Government of Nigeria bonds and Nigeria Treasury Bills,” it said.

    According to the firm, official statements give the impression that some of the oil production losses have been recovered, a claim, it said, it was unable to confirm in the absence of a unified source of metering.

    “As for the price, we do not think that global demand warrants significant further weakness. We also point to the many geopolitical risks and OPEC’s (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries) interest in arresting the decline. The level of official reserves has settled on a plateau of $39.6 billion this month but still provides nine months’ merchandise import cover,” it said.

    Another measure to boost the naira, it said, is dollarisation of the banking system. “The CBN data though to March 2014 shows a limited build-up to 25.7 per cent of commercial banks’ total deposits,” it said.

  • APGA without Obi: the fears, the re-alignments

    APGA without Obi: the fears, the re-alignments

    Following former Governor Peter Obi’s sudden retirement as the Leader and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) at a time the leadership crisis in the party is still largely unresolved, Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, examines the fears, the on-going re-alignments and reports that these are trying times for the political party

    ormer Governor Peter Obi’s sudden resignation as Leader and Chairman, Board of Trustees of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has further deepened the party’s prolonged leadership crisis. This is especially so because his resignation as the leader of the party is coming at a time the Supreme Court is yet to rule on the case between Chief Victor Umeh and Chief Maxi Okwu, in order to determine the rightful national chairman of the party.

    It would be recalled that before the Umeh/Okwu’s face off, the party also suffered for about eight years following an earlier leadership tussle between the Founding National Chairman of the party, Chief Chekwas Okorie, and Chief Umeh, his successor.

    The Okorie/Umeh leadership tussle ended when Okorie finally dumped APGA in 2013 and founded another political party called UPGA, which was denied registration. So, earlier this year, his new party, United Progressives Party (UPP), was finally registered.

    But no sooner did the Okorie/Umeh face off come to an end than the then governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, who at that time had some misunderstandings with Umeh, influenced the emergence of Chief Maxi Okwu, thus kicking off the current factionalisation in the party that is yet to be resolved.

    Although Umeh and Obi later resolved their differences shortly before the last Anambra State governorship election, observers say it appears Obi, as the undisputed leader of the party then, did not conclusively resolve what would become of Okwu’s factor, or so it seems. So, while Umeh and Okwu continued the struggle for chairmanship of the party, dragging each other from one court to the other, many looked up to Obi to reconcile them in order to move the party forward ahead 2015 elections.

    This explains why, when the former governor, on whose shoulder the political party had rested in the last eight years, suddenly tendered his resignation letter in Abuja office of the party, concerned observers expressed fear that APGA may not survive the current crisis. It is instructive for example that Obi’s letter was addressed to the ‘National Secretary’ instead of the ‘National Chairman.’

    The Nation also gathered that although Obi formally cited “family and personal reasons” for his resignation, pledging to remain an ordinary APGA member, he may have become tired of what insiders described as “seemingly unending reconciliation efforts.”

    A source hinted that Obi has also become dissatisfied with Umeh’s leadership of the National Working Committee for not convening a convention to ratify his (Obi’s) appointment as National Leader and Chairman of Board of Trustees (BoT), amongst other issues. We gathered that he actually explained to some close associates in a private meeting in Lagos recently that he had to resign because he cannot understand why his appointment to the chairmanship of the party’s BoT since January 2014 by the National Executive Council of the party was yet to be ratified by a Convention of the party as stipulated by the constitution.

    His Media Assistant, Mr. Valentine Obienyem, collaborated this when he reportedly said: “If you recall, my boss was nominated the Leader of the party and the Chairman of her Board of Trustees in January. The nomination was yet to be ratified by a Convention of the party when he submitted his letter of resignation.

    “Since the convention will take place next year, people have found it convenient to blame him for the woes of the party on the reason that he had failed to intervene on matters affecting the party, not knowing that without ratification of his nomination, he had no platform under which to intervene.”

     

    Is APGA dead, dying?

    The prolonged APGA crisis worsened this August. Starting with the exit of four federal lawmakers, who decamped to PDP, citing leadership crisis between Umeh and Okwu, it reached its apogee with Obi’s recent resignation of his leadership of the party. The lawmakers, who defected to PDP, are Uche Ekwunife, Cyril Egwuatu, Chris Azubogu and Victor Ogene. Some reports however said Ogene later issued a statement denying that he defected to PDP and saying he remains in APGA.

    The lawmakers, in their separate letters to PDP had reportedly said leadership crisis in APGA had not only factionalised the party but has also put their future electoral aspirations under jeopardy.

    As would be expected, the major players in the power game have been exchanging harsh words over the development.

    Umeh, for example alleged that before their resignation and declaration for PDP, the four federal lawmakers “were holding secret meetings with Obi,” and that after the declaration for PDP, one of them, Afam Ogene, has come to apologise to him and secretary of the party.

    Reacting, Obi’s aide, Mr. Valentine Obienyem reportedly said, “For those who left the party, it is an insult for anybody to accuse old men and women of being under Obi’s spell for that is the implication of saying that Obi was behind that.”

    Though this is not the first time APGA would face challenges arising from leadership tussle, some observers are expressing fear that the party may not succeed this current challenge. This fear, according to some insiders and observers who spoke to The Nation during the week, is as a result of the multiple nature of the present face off.

    Aside national level, where there no longer exists a centrally accepted figure to anchor the party, APGA is equally facing very serious leadership problems at the state levels.

    The depth of the crisis in APGA in other states where it used to be very strong aside Anambra State where Obi and Umeh hail from, was demonstrated last week when armed policemen suddenly took over the Imo State secretariat of the party situated along Egbu Road, as members of two factions, using dangerous weapons, engaged themselves in a free for all.

    Reports have it that trouble started when the state interim chairman of the party, Mr. Peter Ezeobi, “drove into the premises but was booed and jeered at by some angry members who accused him of allegedly sacking 14 local government chairmen of the party unilaterally and without recourse to the State Working Committee (SWC).”

    Since then, most of the members of the party in Imo State seem confused on the way forward. “All our leaders are at war at the same time. It is as if the end has come for the party,” lamented Eze Ukamaka, an APGA member in Imo State. Ukamaka querried, “since Obi, Umeh and Okwu are at war today, and the federal lawmakers, who should step in have left for PDP, tell me who would resolve the crisis in the party at the state and federal level? If a new leader does not arise quick enough, we may all leave,” he threatened.

    The situation seems to be the same in other states, although some members of the Okwu faction, who call their faction the APGA National and supporters of Umeh, insist the exit of the current leaders will rather strengthen APGA, alleging that most of the so-called APGA leaders have been agents of PDP within the party.

    “It may sound strange or ironic, but I can assure you that some of us are happy at the development. Let all these PDP agents that have been misleading APGA go for good so that we can revive APGA as an independent political party. APGA has for long been tied under the apron strings of PDP. Enough is enough, let them go,” Kalu Onwuka, an APGA faithful in Abia State said.

     

    The Peter Obi factor:

    When Peter Obi emerged the governor of Anambra State, March 17, 2006 under the ticket of APGA, a relatively young party then, he understandably assumed a leadership position in the party. With the fatherly backing of the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, the party’s presidential candidate and Chairman, Board of Trustees, Obi and his party, APGA, also became strategically important factors in the nation’s political calculation.

    Since then, his name has continuously featured at the topmost political levels, especially at the very apex of South-East political scene where he served as Chairman of South-East Governors Forum beyond eight years. This understandably placed him at the centre of many political battles.

    So, Obi had little options than to fight many intriguing battles that not only strengthened his feet in the murky waters of Nigerian politics but firmly placed APGA’s fortunes on his broad shoulders for over a decade.

    For example, he became governor by winning a significant election petition case against People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the ruling party at the centre.

    It would also be recalled that he was impeached barely months after as Anambra State governor on November 2, 2006, a development that shook APGA and Obi deeply.

    A dogged fighter however, he returned to court and the impeachment was historically overturned, thus restoring him as governor.

    He was also re-elected on February 6, 2010 for a second term as governor and was succeeded on March 17, 2014, by Willie Obiano, also of APGA.

    Given his domineering role in the party for over a decade, Obi’s recent action of resigning his leadership position and electing to be an ordinary member has been a source of concern to many, who fear that APGA may not survive his exit.

    For example, all the known factions have reacted in a a way that exposed the depth of disagreement within the party. For example, while Umeh said Obi’s exit was part of a scheme to move over to PDP and take up appointments from President Goodluck Jonathan, a statement that elicited swift reaction from Obi, reports said Okwu’s faction rejoiced at the current quarrel between Umeh and Obi.

    Reacting to Umeh’s comment, Obi’s media aide, Valentine Obienyem, said that even till today, “Obi remained the face of APGA and a consistent APGA member”.

    “If Obi had not stayed in court to regain his mandate, to fight his impeachment, to seek tenure interpretation, there would have been no APGA today.

    “If he had not supported the present governor under APGA, the party would have ceased to exist. He saw the party to its second tenure in Anambra and in the end handed over to an APGA elected governor.

    “During electioneering, Anambra people, including Umeh, said APGA won because of Obi’s work in the state,” Obienyem said.

     

    Will APGA fuss into PDP?

    Following allegations that Obi, who enjoys very close political relationship with President Goodluck Jonathan, has all along been a PDP man, some people are already saying that APGA is set to fuss into PDP. Obi has however denied this claim consistently. While admitting his friendship with Jonathan and his determination to campaign and strategise for his re-election as president in 2015, Obi said he would however remain an APGA member.

    Also on the relationship between APGA and Jonathan, Umeh said he has made it clear that the party supports Jonathan and will not field a Presidential candidate.

    He however said there will be proper alliance between APGA and PDP, the type the defunct Nigeria Peoples Party (NPP) and National Party of Nigeria (NPN) had in the Second Republic “so that APGA will not lose totally.”

    He was in fact, quoted recently as saying, APGA has formed its own Jonathan campaign wing known as ‘Join Jonathan Journey’.

    Given the rather complex scenerio, devoted APGA members across the country are confused today. Sources say each faction of the party are aware of the situation and have commenced re- alignment meetings and strategies. Within the Maxi Okwu camp, we gathered they are working hard on their international chapters and other South-East states. “Our leader, Okwu, who was abroad recently, made wide consultations amongst our members in diaspora,” said a source. We also learnt that Umeh’s loyalists are also looking for a worthy successor as Umeh is preparing for the realisation of his senatorial ambition in 2015. For Obi and Obiano, the way forward for APGA, according to a source, may not be made public until the ruling of the Supreme Court, even though their support for Jonathan’s presidency is well known.

    How all these would play out both for APGA and the party faithfuls ahead 2015 remains to be seen.

  • EBOLA: Our fears, by Seme border residents

    EBOLA: Our fears, by Seme border residents

    Don’t shut the border, Beninoise plead with govt

    AS Cameroon, Kenya and other African countries have resorted to shutting their borders against neighbouring African nations currently plagued by the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), nationals of Benin Republic have begun to imagine the worst if their country  also decides to close its border with Nigeria.

    They foresee hunger, Kwashiorkor, mass death and other calamities befalling the country and the people should their government decide to shut the border in order to prevent the disease from spreading to their country.

    A trip to the tiny West African country shows that the nationals are prepared for a show down with their government if it contemplates taking such decision. None of the respondents welcomed the idea. They all described it as a decision that is worse than being hit by the EVD.

    One of the respondents, Alice Anthony, a native of Port Novo, is still being hunted by her unpalatable experience when the border was closed some years ago because of elections.

    She recalled that she and her kinsmen were almost sent to their early graves by hunger because the border was closed for just three days.

    “It must never happen again because we saw hell when a similar action was taken some years ago when elections were taking place in Nigeria. The border was shut for only three days within which we almost went to refuse dumps to scavenge for food.

    “If they shut it then for three days because of elections, shutting it down because of Ebola would be indefinite. If that happens, the number of people that would die in a week would be higher than the number that Ebola would kill in a year if it comes into our country. In fact, if the border is shut for just an hour, there would be pandemonium in the country,” she said.

    A leading trader, who gave her name as Asana Bandjo, feared that women would be worst hit if such decision is taken. She said: “I want to speak on behalf of women because we are really what you can describe as the real vulnerable group in this our country. Before now, our men used to work and take care of their wives and children but now, it is the women that feed the husbands.

    “Most of our men marry as many wives as possible and hardly bother about our well being. That is why you find every woman in our society hustling to feed her children and the husband as well. At times, the man may decide not come home for several days but when he comes, he will be asking for food which he did not give you a dime to prepare.”

    She added that their condition is made worse by the fact that their country does not have companies that can employ the women. “We don’t have companies that can employ women the way you people do in Nigeria. We don’t earn salaries here. We only depend on the small income we get from our petty trading. So, you can imagine what would happen to us and our children if the border is closed. It is better to manage Ebola than to toy with hunger. We have been educated about how to prevent Ebola so we have no fears about relating with our Nigerian neighbours,” she submitted.

    Ajanu Komavo, a bureau de change operator feared that there would be untold hardship that could lead to worse epidemic than Ebola in their country if the government shuts the border.

    “Our government must not think of shutting the border against Nigeria as some African countries have done against their neighbours because of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). If they do, there would be serious economic problems in the land and when this happens, we would all die of not just hunger, but of other outbreak of worse sicknesses than Ebola. It is easier to manage Ebola than hunger. Ebola kills in single digits but hunger and its attendant challenges kill en-masse,” he said.

    His business colleague, who gave his name as Ezekiel Dedewanu, said the country stands to lose a great deal if it takes such decision which, according to him, is not in the interest of the masses. “Did I hear you say anything about our government shutting the border because of Ebola?”  He began with a rhetorical question.

    “I have been earning my living from the border for several decades because people come in and go out of it on a daily basis. If the border is shut, nobody would come in or go out of this place and that would spell doom for me and my family. We would not be able to feed not to talk of having money to pay their school fees. Does it make sense to waste an entire generation because of the fear of Ebola?

    “Our country and Nigeria are brothers. We have been having cordial and symbiotic business relationship over the years and it would not be in the interest of any of the two countries if the border is shut.”

    Emmanuel Koffi, a commercial motor operator, opined that shutting the border is incapable of preventing Ebola from entering the country. He said: “Can any country stop a disease by closing the border? It is not possible because diseases are not physical things that you can prevent in that manner. It is ridiculous for any country to think that by closing its borders, it can prevent Ebola. What is important is to take the necessary health measures and pray against it.

    “I don’t think our government would contemplate that because they know the crucial role that Nigeria plays in our economy. Closing the border will amount to passing death sentence on the people because the very moment we exhaust our reserves, we would either die of hunger or turn to cannibals. Our case would be worse than the plight of people you see in war-torn nations.”

    The Beninoise are, however, not alone in this. Some of their Nigerian counterparts are also frowned at any decision to shut the border by any government.

    Nura Garuba, a Nigerian businessman said Ebola is not at the border and should not serve as a reason for anybody to close the border. “If the border is closed, it is not only the  that would be affected. There are thousands of Nigerians that earn their living from the border. So if any government decides to close the border, all of us would be affected. The difference is that it will only affect individuals in Nigeria while it will affect both individuals and Benin Republic as a country.

    “I have been living and doing business here for the past 20 years. I only travel to Zamfara, my state of origin, every year.  If the border is closed, what would I be doing to earn a living? Where will I get the resources to pay my rent and children’s school fees?

     

    Tackling Ebola at the border

    Checks at the entrance to Benin Republic shows that the government has embarked on massive enlightenment campaigns to sensitise the nationals and immigrants to the country about the EVD. A loud speaker was mounted by the gate from where a recorded message in English, French, Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo and Egun was being passed to the people. Nothing of such was, however, found at the Nigerian side of the border.

    The Nigerian residents at the border, it was learnt, get to know about the EVD through the message broadcast from the Benin Republic’s loud speaker and occasionally, from radio and television broadcasts.

    A Beninoise official, who conducted our correspondent round the area, said the government is leaving no stone unturned in its bid to prevent Ebola from coming into the country. “Our government has been doing everything within its powers to enlighten our people and visitors to the country and the reality of the EVD.

    “We have a loud speaker through which we educate our people on what they need to do to avoid contracting the disease. The messages are in French, Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo and Egun. We adopted this style because a good number of immigrants are from Nigeria. We have a doctor here at the border post who examines visitors to make sure they are not having the virus. So far, we have not found anybody living with the disease,” he said.

    The nationals have been full of appreciation to their government for its initiatives in educating them about the Ebola virus. Jacob Hounge, a Beninoire businessman, said that the campaign has gone a long way in helping the people to improve on their hygiene.

    He said: “We really thank our government for the enlightenment campaign that has opened our eyes to what we should do to avoid being infected by Ebola. It is a good thing that the campaign is this strong at the border because it will enable everybody that is entering and going out of the country to be aware of the virus.

    “I am surprised that Nigeria is not doing the same thing at their border. If they can employ this approach, the awareness level will be very high among the people.”

     

    Fear grips Nigerian border residents

    Nigerian residents at the Seme border have berated the Federal Government for, according to them, not doing enough to educate the people at the border about the disease like its Benin Republic counterpart.

    They decried the absence of ambulance and isolation centres at the border, wondering how a patient could be attended to in such situation. A resident, who gave her name as Rosemary Jikeme, said: “The Nigerian government is not doing enough as far as educating people at the border is concerned about this Ebola virus. The Beninoise are doing far better in this regard.

    “The radio and television broadcast they said they are doing is not sufficient in educating people in remote areas and borders because we all don’t have access to them. How would we hear about it when we have not had power supply in this area for about six years? There is a need for health workers to come here and organise seminars and other enlightenment programmes for us.”

    Another resident, who gave his name as Bayo Oni, lamented the absence of ambulance at the border, saying: “If there is any seriousness of the part of our government in tackling Ebola, there should be a standby ambulance here at the border. If we have a victim right here, how would they convey him to the hospital, moreso when we do not have any around us? My fear is that many people would be affected if just one person is found out to be living with the sickness here. The health workers and other government officials need to do more than wearing hand gloves.”

    Ozegbe Victor, a resident at the border, took a swipe at the Federal Government over the absence of isolation centres at the border. He said: “We have a government that takes pleasure in using propaganda in deceiving the people. I read it in the newspapers some time ago that the government has put isolation centres at all the borders across the country. Did you see anything like that in this area?

    “It is all deceit. If we have a case of Ebola now, what would happen? Don’t be deceived, the Port Health Services people we here cannot do anything in the face of emergency. I don’t even think they have what it takes to attend to emergencies.”

    A health official, who spoke with The Nation under anonymity, also confirmed that there was no isolation centre in place at the border, adding: “The government may provide one in the future, but as I am talking to you now, there is nothing like here at the border.”

     

    Concern about porous border

    Some of the residents in a chat with The Nation expressed serious concern about the porous nature of the border and the activities of the immigration officials.  They feared that sick illegal immigrants might end up infecting healthy residents at the border.

    “How can we be talking about tackling Ebola without tightening our borders? If an infected person mistakenly finds his way into this area, we would all be infected. Our lives as residents of this area are in great danger because of the innumerable numbers of illegal immigrants that troop into this area on daily basis.

    “Our border is too porous. The officials that are saddled with the responsibility are not doing their jobs very well. Apart from the challenge of Ebola, such unchecked migration into the country poses a serious threat to the security of the country and the citizens,” a resident, who gave his name as Abiodun Sule, said.

    Another resident, who simply identified herself as Babs, decried the high rate of corruption at the border. He pointed out that the laxity at the border needs to be checked to save the nation from unforeseen problems.

    “There is no sanity on Nigeria’s side of the border as you too can see. There are so many security agencies and plain cloth people masquerading as security men or government officials. Most of them are just there to extort money from people that are crossing the border.

    “This is not so at the Benin Republic border. There is high level of sanity at their border when you compare it with ours. They have a limited number of security agencies and government officials milling around the border. This helps them to monitor and control the movement of everybody going in and out of their border,” he said.

     

    Ebola Screening at Border as World Health Organisation (WHO) visits

    Our correspondent, who visited the area, reported that Port Health Services officials were screening immigrants to the country for Ebola. Checks showed that out of the large number of people trooping into the country, only a few were being screened. As big as the border is, the screening was only going on at a single point.

    As at about 3pm few number of the immigrants were made to go through the exercise. As at 5:30 when the team had left, the screening point was abandoned with immigrants moving in unchecked.

    It took the personal effort for our correspondent to know that the officials were still doing the screening. He approached the screening point and asked if he could be screened for Ebola. The officials, who appeared to be on holiday, answered in the affirmative, conducted the screening and said: “Your temperature is 34 o/c. If it were 37, we would have checked you for malaria or Ebola.”

    Asked if any traveller had been found to be infected, she said: “Why are you asking? You have known your status; you don’t have any business knowing about others’ status.” The record book was scanty when our correspondent did the test, confirming that the exercise had not long begun.

    Efforts to get the WHO team’s observation and remark about their visit were unsuccessful. One of their officials simply said: “I am not permitted to speak with the press. You can meet any of the Nigerian officials for briefing. I am sorry if I did not meet your expectations.”

    Visits to the offices of Nigerian Immigration Services (NIS) and Port Health Services for comments also failed. The public relations officer of NIS, Mr Niyi Oyewole, said he was not in a position to speak on the issue, adding: “My controller who should have spoken with you has left for Abuja on official assignment.”

    The response was the same at the Port Health Services. An official of the organisation said the boss was not around to speak with our correspondent.

  • Fears over confab gains

    Fears over confab gains

    Following widespread complaints over delegates’ unserious habits and the leadership’s belated threat to deal with absentee members of the soon-to-be rested National Conference, Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu and Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, report on the fears and gains of the confab

    “If you look at the seats, more than half of the conference delegates did not show up for debates.

    “There are rules with which government regulates sitting allowance.

    “We should consider no payment of allowance to any delegate that fails to come to plenary.

    “We are all adults.

    “We don’t want to treat ourselves like school children.

    “From Monday, any delegate that does not show up will not be paid sitting allowance unless for medical reason.”

    With these words, the Deputy Chairman of the National Conference, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, penultimate week, tried to put to a stop what concerned Nigerians have been lamenting openly since March 7, 2014 when the Federal Government of Nigeria named the 492 delegates to the National Conference, choosing Monday, March 17 as the kick off date.

    As would be expected, the words of the leadership of the confab were unanimously welcomed by the delegates present at that meeting. Every one of them agreed it was necessary to deny paying sitting allowance henceforth to any delegate who fails to show up at plenary, except on health ground.

    It would be recalled that when the National Conference began on Monday, March 17, 2014, the 492 delegates, comprising representatives of ethnic nationalities, professional groups, political parties, civil society groups and government nominees were given three months to discuss and agree on, amongst other issues, the country’s constitutional, security and political challenges.

    But as soon as the list of the delegates was made public; a list featuring 37 Elder Statesmen, amongst other well known top political leaders, some Nigerians, especially youth activists and other critical observers voiced out criticism of the choice of the delegates, writing off some of them as either “too old, too tired, fagged out, sick or simply over used already.” Most of the critics said openly that many of the delegates will not make any meaningful contribution on account of ill health or age.

    Perhaps, one of the most outspoken critics of the confab then was the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), which out rightly refused to send its two delegates. The party had, months before the March commencement date, described the talk shop as a waste of time and another avenue to loot public funds.

    Although many Nigerians shared this view, federal government advocates pointed out that the experienced delegates; some of who were dismissed as aged or over-used, are actually some of Nigeria’s most prized human resources who cannot be excluded from a serious gathering like the national conference.

    This notwithstanding, most observers had since March considered reports of cases of un-seriousness on the part of delegates as confirmation of government’s failure to listen to good reason while adopting the method of choosing delegates.

    As Gbenga Olusegun, a social critic in Lagos puts it during the week, “We recall vividly some published pictures of some of the aged delegates sleeping during plenary. That is the reality. It is because we all know that government was adamant to use the same old horses and that they do not really care if any meaningful success is achieved from the multi-billion naira confab, that is why some of us refused to comment on the recalcitrant attitude of the delegates reported in the newspapers every day. As a Nigerian, each time I watch the live sessions and see the empty seats and some delegates dozing noisily, I most time feel ashamed to admit the delegates are actually representing an informed Nigerian population of today,” he said adding:

    “So, until the conference leadership made its recent pronouncement, I had been too annoyed to talk about the so-called national conference.

    So, although dismissed by some critics as belated, most Nigerians, including a few serious minded delegates, who have expressed worry at the way unserious delegates have laboured hard to turn the conference into a wasteful jamboree, have welcomed the idea, pointing out that unless delegates attend plenary and contribute meaningfully to the debates, the exercise would be a nullity.

    Even from within, some delegates had made efforts to solve the problem. A delegate, a member of the committee on devolution of power, said “while I cannot deny that some delegates have shown unseriousness, let me inform you that so much work is being done at the conference. It will surprise you that some of the issues many Nigerians have feared will divide the confab are being resolved amicably. Take a sensitive issue like creation of state, it was agreed to unanimously. That will give you an idea of what is going on in that conference. We are not playing here,” he said objecting to being named.

    But such defence not withstanding, it would be recalled that shortly after the Confab broke into committees, the National Conference Committee on Civil Society, Labour and Sports sacked its chairperson, Bola Ogunrimade, for absenteeism. The committee replaced the sacked chairman with her deputy, Issa Aremu.

    The committee, which is one of the ten committees of the confab that sat at the NICON Luxury Hotel, took the decision in a unanimous vote.

    “Because of persistent non-appearance of the chairperson, the committee members have asked me to take over as the chairman and we intend to communicate this to the secretariat,” Mr. Aremu had said while speaking to reporters after the sitting of the committee.

    Aremu said the former chairperson did not report formally since the committee took off. “It is going to be difficult to drive a committee which you don’t know the concept and the idea we have been running,” he said

    Although the decision of the committee members was later upturned by the leadership of the Confab, Ogunrinmade’s earlier rejection by her colleagues on grounds of absenteeism was the first concrete proof that serious delegates were in agreement with Nigerians that the unsavory attitude of some delegates at the talk shop must be stopped. Their recalcitrant attitude towards the national assignment and towards the sensibilities of the stakeholders they are representing have no doubt become an embarrassment not only to Nigerians and serious minded delegates, but also to keen observers across the globe.

    It would be recalled that just a day before the Ogunrinmade’s saga was made public; proceedings at the National Conference were almost aborted, no thanks to the absence of most of its members after the lunch break.

    The situation, according to a delegate, was very embarrassing to the conference leadership. “The 492-member conference only sits two times-between Mondays and Thursdays with the morning session holding from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the afternoon session lasting between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.

    “But that day, before the confab proceeded on lunch break at about 1.40 p.m., most of the delegates were present to debate the report of the Committee on Economy, Trade and Investment.

    “However, upon resumption, the leadership of the conference noticed that most of the members were not present to vote on the recommendations and amendments proposed by the committee.”

    We gathered that the Deputy Chairman of the conference, Bolaji Akinyemi, who was to moderate the session, expressed concern about the ability to go ahead with the voting since many of the conferees were not in the Andrews Otutu Obaseki Auditorium venue of the session. This, The Nation learnt, almost became the norm.

    For example, it is on record that after the Easter break, most delegates at the conference stayed out of the conference committee deliberations that was ongoing then at both the National Judicial Institute (NJI), venue of the conference and the Nicon Luxury Hotels Abuja. A source confirmed that most of the notorious absentee delegates were expectedly among those that failed to resume early from the Easter holiday.

    The situation got so bad that Mrs. Annkio Briggs, a federal government delegate, citing Order III Rule 3 (a) of the Procedure Rules, raised a Point of Order, urging the conference to address the problem of absenteeism.

    Rule 3 says: “A Delegate shall, to the best of his ability, regularly attend the sittings of the Conference and those of the Committee of which he is a member.” According to Rule 3 (a): “No delegate shall miss sittings without prior notification of the secretariat of the conference.”

    Based on these, Briggs noted that the conference had been having empty seats on a daily basis and urged the secretariat to call delegates to order.

    “I want to point out that the empty seats that we see here on a daily basis is very disrespectful to the members that are here. I believe that every one of us here have very pressing issues that we can do on a daily basis. This is a sacrifice that we are all making; a call to serve the nation. I do not believe that every (owner of) empty seat here has taken permission from the secretariat to be absent.

    “I believe that people will need time off once in a while; but I refuse to accept that it is proper for people that had made their presentations not to hear other people’s presentations. Some people who feel that their presentations are going to come a day or two later are making themselves absent, making it impossible for them to hear other people’s presentations.”

    She added, “It is neither distinguished nor honourable for people to behave in that manner,” urging the secretariat and the Chairman to call all those concerned to order. Briggs also suggested that it was more honourable for them to make it clear to the secretariat if they would not be able to continue participating in the conference.

    Shortly after this submission, the federal government issued a strong warning to the delegates who have formed the habit of absenting themselves from the proceedings of the conference without prior permission from the confab leadership, saying it will not pay the sitting allowance of such delegates who fail to attend plenary on sitting days save for medical reasons.

    Akinyemi in passing across the new position called on delegates to be present at every conference debate except when issues like health concerns come up. He added that action will be taken as from Monday, June 21, 2014.

    “I don’t want a situation where distinguished delegates are treated like primary or secondary school students that we teach, correct and mark present,” he said.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       But in spite of the complaints and threats from several quarters, reports from the Confab reveal that the delegates have hardly changed their attitudes.

    “The seats continue to be empty even when crucial decisions are to be taken. I wonder what kind of feedback some of us delegates will take back home at the end of this conference,” a delegate at the confab told The Nation this week.

    Another delegate refuted the claim that nothing has changed since the conference leadership warned absentees. He however pointed out that the improved attendance this week may also be attributed to the critical issues, which according to him were deliberately delayed until the last lap of the conference. Such issues, he said include devolution of power and restructuring.

    Given the short period remaining to round up the conference, observers say the government and the leadership of the confab took so long to correct an obvious lapse.

    “One thing is certain,” said Dr. Francis Iheukwumere, “and that is that many Nigerians are no longer expecting so much from the conference since we are not even certain that the few reasonable resolutions at the conference will eventually be endorsed either by the National Assembly or through a referendum. We all agree that the idea of a National Conference is a bold move, but President Goodluck Jonathan’s government will need to prove to Nigerians that it has not wasted our time and resources,” he said.

    So as the National Conference gradually winds up, Nigerians are worried that in spite of the huge resources spent on the project, it remains to be seen how the few resolutions made at the talk shop would be turned into law for effective implementation.

     

    Major recommendations so far

    Some of the major recommendations made so far by the National Conference include:
    State Police
    One of the major recommendations so far made by the National Conference is the establishment of State Police to complement the efforts of the Nigeria police Force.
    – It recommended that the areas of jurisdiction of the Federal Police will cover the entire country while the jurisdiction of the State Police will cover the state and operate within the laws enacted by the State Assembly.
    – It however rejected proposal that state governors should exercise control over police commissioners posted to the state.
    – Aside state police, the conference also recommended that states be given the mandate to make laws for establishment of Community Police.
    – Other major recommendations on security include: setting up of Security and Intelligence Services Oversight Committee (SISOC) to be assigned the task of mapping out security architecture for the country.
    – They also endorsed a recommendation for the establishment of Waterway Safety Corps to man the waterways in riverine areas. This organization, if finally established, may be expected to perform similar functions as those performed by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
    – They also recommended that state governors should be involved in the running of the Federal Police in their respective states.

    Creation of 18 new states
    The conference has recommended creation of 18 new states. It specifically agreed that “in the spirit of reconciliation, equity and justice, an additional state should be created for the South-East zone. The implication is that if the federal government accepts the Thursday, July 3, 2014 recommendation, Nigeria will now have 54 states with nine in each of the six geo-political zones.
    -Some of the proposed states already approved by the conference are Apa from Benue State, Kainji from Kebbi, Katagun from Benue, Savannah from borno, Amana from Adamawa, Gurara from Kaduna, Ghari from Kano, Etiti from the South-East, Aba from Abia, adada from Enugu and Njaba-Anim from Anambra and Imo.
    The others are Anioma from Delta State, Orashi from Rivers State, Ogoja from Cross River State, Ijebu from Ogun and New Oyo State from the present Oyo State.
    The conference announced during the week that it will later determine the names of the remaining two states and their capitals, which are to be created in the South-South and South-West zones.
    Rotation of the office of the President
    The conference has also recommended rotation of the office of the president, which should be between the North and the South and among the six-geo political zones while the office of the state governor should be rotated among the senatorial districts in each state.

  • FEARS in Lagos neighbourhoods over influx of aliens

    FEARS in Lagos neighbourhoods over influx of aliens

    ALI, Mamoudu and Musa are citizens of Niger Republic. But more than being citizens of the same country, the three young men are born of the same parents. Musa, the eldest of them, was the first to arrive Nigeria about seven years ago. The journey, from his village in Niger Republic to Lagos took him about two weeks, with stopovers in Katsina, Ibadan and Shagamu. Musa said his journey to Nigeria was without any interruption until he got to Kamba, a town at the border between the two countries.

    “If you are coming from Niger to Nigeria, you will get to Kamba where you will pay some people who will give you some papers. They said the papers would enable you to enter Nigeria,” he said. Musa, who has no formal education, said between the time he left his village in Niger Republic and the time he arrived Lagos, he engaged in more than three different jobs. He said: “In Ibadan, I carried loads for people. After I had made some money, I moved to Shagamu where I sold water with trucks.

    It was in Lagos that I started selling provisions after securing a job as a gateman (security guard).” Soon after he settled down in Lagos, Musa’s two younger brothers followed suit, making their ways into Lagos in a similar fashion. Today, the three of them live in Bariga area of Lagos. While Musa runs a provision store that also serves as home for more than eight others, Ali and Mamoudu hawk water in jerry cans.

    There are fears that the influx of foreigners from neighbouring countries like Mali, Chad, Niger and Cameroun provides a ready market for insurgents to recruit as foot soldiers. But Musa and his siblings swore that they have nothing to do with any terrorist group, saying they only came to Nigeria in search of greener pastures.

    But not many residents of the area appeared to be convinced by the claim made by the brothers. Adeleke (surname withheld), who resides on a popular street in Akoka area of Lagos, said the residents’ fears had been raised by the realisation that the aliens in the area were increasing in number every day.

    “We started to notice that these people were increasing in number every day. At a time, they were virtually the ones in command of commercial motorcycle business popularly called okada in the area. They later ventured into other businesses, which eventually attracted the attention of the people.

    “It was also observed that they lived in a particular building where one of them was employed as a gateman.” The fear of insurgency being the beginning of wisdom, the residents met recently and ordered the owner of the house in question to do something about its occupants, following which the number of aliens in the house was reduced to six.

    Until about two weeks ago, no one in the Agbelekale neighbourhood in Abule Egba area of the city knew that Ishaq Gumsu was not a Nigerian. Everyone thought he was an indigene of Kano State, but they soon discovered that they were wrong when Ishaq was accosted by men of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) on the neighbourhood Ekoro Road as he was returning from a nearby market where he had gone to purchase some provisions.

    “Oga, please, I am a Nigerien, but I have been staying in Lagos for close to 15 years,” he reportedly pleaded with Immigration officials. “I have brothers in Birnni Kebbi and I visit there twice in a year to take care of our cattle.” But the concerned residents, who spoke with one of our correspondents, expressed disappointment that the Immigration officials who accosted Ishaq let him off.

    Ishaq himself told our reporter that he had at different times lived in parts of Lagos like Ilasamaja, Isolo and Mushin where he worked variously as a shoe shiner and water vendor before relocating to Abule Egba. He said: “Throughout my stay in those places, I did not live in any rented apartment. And up till now, I live in a small kiosk where I sell provisions and also work as a shoemaker. “I was an itinerant shoemaker and I made some money with which I set up my cattle business and provision kiosk.

    I have a wife and five children in my village in Niger Republic. They treat me like a king each time I visit home.” But Ishaq is not the only alien in the neighbourhood. There are many others from Niger, Chad, Mali and even Cameroon in parts of Abule Egba, Meiran, Ajasa, Command and Alagbado areas of the city. Meiran, a suburb of Lagos, boasts a horde of aliens, including a Malian named Ahmadu Traore and his two brothers, who work as commercial motorcycle operators. Asked what his mission is in Lagos, Traore, who said about 50 of his kinsmen live in the area, said: “There is no better country to work and make money than Nigeria. I make good money and live relatively well with my brothers.

    There are about 50 of our kinsmen in this community and we hold regular meetings for the purpose of bonding. But most of us work as okada riders, cart pushers and shoemakers.” In the Akute area of Lagos, the story of the three brothers is replicated in Audu, another citizen of Niger Republic who came to Nigeria through Kamba, near Birini Kebbi, Kebbi State about four years ago. According to Audu, entering Nigeria from Niger is very easy once you are willing to part with some money at the border.

    He believes that Nigeria is the best place for him because the environment is friendly and there are job opportunities. He said: “Before I came to Nigeria, many of our people who had come here told us about how good and friendly the country was.

    That was why I decided to come here myself.” Audu, like other aliens our reporter spoke with, was initially reluctant to admit that he is a citizen of Niger Republic. He claimed to be an indigene of Kebbi State until he was sure that our reporter was not an immigration official.

    He said some of them were being constantly harassed by real and fake immigration officials. Audu, who spoke smattering English, said he learnt the much he could speak of the language when he got to Lagos. Strangely, he said he had learnt to distance himself from Malians and other Nigeriens in the country to avoid being haunted by immigration officials and the suspicion with which Nigerians now view the aliens among them on account of the activities of the Boko Haram sect.

    “Now, I see myself more as a Nigerian than a Nigerien. Life is too good here to get myself involved in the shameless activities of Boko Haram,” he said. But with the security challenges confronting Nigeria, Audu fears that he might no longer be safe in the country. He said he had personally restricted his movements in the city because he feared that he might be picked up by the security agents.

    “Before now, I felt very free to go to any part of Lagos I liked. But the Boko Haram people have spoilt everything for us. The people now fear us, and some even call us Boko Haram.” Kamba as ‘free’ entry point So, what makes Kamba tick as an illegal entry point into Nigeria from the northern part of the country? According to Ibrahim, who ekes out a living by carrying loads for people at the popular Mile 12 Market, which also serves as his home, there are too many entry points into the country for illegal immigrants from Niger Republic. But he identified Kamba as the most patronised of the entry points.

    Kamba is the headquarters of Dandi Local Government Area of Kebbi State. It has an area of 42,003 square kilometres, while the 2006 census puts its population at 144,273. “There are many routes through which we can enter Nigeria. You know that the border area is very large. But most of us come through Kamba and Cotonou,” Ibrahim said. Asked why he left his country for Nigeria without any feasible means of livelihood, Ibrahim, the first in a family of 15 children, said his father is a subsistence farmer with five wives.

    He said: “My father has five wives and 15 children. I am the first born and none of us is educated. All of us helped my father on the farm, but there was no money. So, all the children had to go out to make money. A friend of mine came to Nigeria and returned to our village with many good things. He also told us that we could make it if we come here. That was why I left my village and came to Nigeria.” Ibrahim has two wives and six children.

    But his dream of hitting it big in Nigeria is under severe threat as a result of the security situation in the country. “People now fear us when we go out. That is why we no longer go far away from where we live. Please, tell them that we are not Boko Haram,” he pleaded. But Akeebu, a Nigerian and ‘hustler’ at the Mile 12 Market, lamented that the activities of illegal aliens at the market and its environs had given the rest of them in the area a bad name. He said:

    “These people are giving us bad names around here. Most of the bad things that happen here are perpetrated by the illegal aliens but the people would think we are the ones. If you come to this place at night, you would see more than 500 of them sleeping on the bridge. Now the bridge is bad because of their activities.” Sixty-six-year-old Ibrahim came to Nigeria as a young man more than 30 years ago.

    While acknowledging the fears of Nigerians about the activities of illegal aliens in the country, Ibrahim recalled that the situation was different when he first arrived in Nigeria. He said while no entry papers were required at the time he came into Nigeria, things have since changed, particularly because it was discovered that many of his compatriots were being killed and many others were disappearing without any trace.

    “That was when the Nigerien government insisted that before any of its citizens left the country, they must obtain the right papers. “At a point, Nigerian immigration officials were arresting and detaining illegal immigrants into Nigeria, and many of our people were victims. It became worrisome when some of our people were disappearing without any trace. Some people, who were not Immigration officials, were taking advantage of our people.

    This attracted the attention of our government when the cases of abducted Nigeriens became rampant. “Many of our people died on the Apapa/Oshodi Expressway while trying to run away from immigration officials. But, thank God, things have changed. We have leaders in different communities in Nigeria, so whenever anything happens, we come together as a family.

    That is why I’m telling you that it will be difficult for any of us to be a member of the Boko Haram sect. “Although I am often referred to as a Boko Haram man, it does not bother me. Funny enough, most Nigerians don’t even know the difference between Nigerians and Nigeriens.

    The only exception is the immigration people at the border.” Ibrahim said that while he had had to cope with many problems as an immigrant, he would not subscribe to anybody becoming a member of the Boko Haram sect. “It is evil, barbaric, primitive and wicked,” he said.

    A visit to Ketu, a suburb of Lagos, revealed how much some of the aliens have had to grapple with accommodation problems. An overhead bridge in the area has virtually caved in as a result of pressure from the large number of illegal immigrants who sleep on it on a daily basis. As soon as night beckons, the pedestrian bridge begins to play host to the immigrants.

    By 10 pm, the entire space on the bridge would have been taken over by the hordes of illegal immigrants. Interestingly, some residents our correspondents spoke with did not seem to nurse the belief that the influx of illegal immigrants into the country constitutes a clear and present danger. Some respondents said they had not bothered to find out the backgrounds of the people they employed as security men. Eze Okoye lives in a four-bedroom flat in the Yaba area of the state.

    He shares the compound with three other tenants. But while the four tenants know one another fairly well, none of them knows anything about the the security man employed to guard the house. Asked what he knew about his security man, Okoye said: “This question is tough o. Would you believe that we have never bothered to carry out any background check on our security man? All we know is that he is Hausa and his name is Musa. I must confess that we don’t even know if he is a Nigerian or not.

    ” Okoye and his co-tenants are not alone in this. Cases abound of domestic servants who, having worked and gained the trust of their masters and madams, cart away the very property they were employed to watch over. But generally speaking, the rising number of immigrants in Lagos has heightened the fears of the people, particularly as they now appear to dominate okada business and other menial jobs.

    While most of them may be involved in legal activities and may indeed have documents backing their stay in the country, the activities of the Boko Haram insurgents and the belief that many of their members may not be Nigerians have heightened fears. On the streets of Lagos, they have become a constant feature with their wheelbarrows filled with assorted fruits as they go round the city hawking their wares.

    This form of trade has no doubt driven fears into the people, bearing in mind the revelation that one of the attackers at Nyaya Park in Abuja might have carried out the attack with a wheelbarrow filled with fruits embedded with explosives. The fear is further heightened by a recent special investigation report by a BBC reporter in Niger Republic, who found that the country had become a fertile ground for the recruitment of insurgents. According to the report, the Boko Haram sect pays the poor recruits about $3,000 to become their members.

    In the face of grinding poverty, experts fear that young Nigeriens might be easy catch for Boko Haram once it dangles such money before them. But the Nigeria Immigration Service is not folding its arm, in the face of the security challenges. Speaking to The Nation, Mr. CPP Obuah, Assistant Comptroller, said the service is working hard to ensure that the nation’s borders are secure.

    While disagreeing with the ‘porous border’ tag used by the media to describe the nation’s borders, Obuah said the right word to describe the borders is ‘expansive’. Many people describe our borders as porous, but the truth is that what we have is expansive borders,” he said. Obuah said the service, under the leadership of the Comptroller General, Mr. David Paradana, has done a lot to ensure the safety of the borders.

    According to him, part of the measures put in place by the service was the introduction of a special force unit. “Shortly after he came into office, the Comptroller General set the safety of the borders as his priority. To do this, he requested for the establishment of a border patrol force, and his request was granted.

    The first batch of 1,000 men of the special force unit graduated only last week. And as I speak with you, these men are being posted to the border posts across the country. “These specially-trained men will henceforth help in monitoring the activities of people entering the country illegally.

    The idea is that if anybody tries to enter the country through the many bush paths, he or she will surely encounter the men of the special force unit, even if such person has escaped the border posts.

    “Talking about the activities of our men in the hinterland, the surveillance and monitoring unit is engaged in the monitoring of people who may have entered the country illegally. Whenever they encounter such people, they are questioned to ascertain whether they have valid papers or not. And if they are found to lack the necessary papers, they are taken back to their country.

    “All these are a routine exercise being carried out by the service as part of the ways to make sure that our borders are safe, especially in the face of the current security challenges facing us. Training and retraining our men and officers are going on every day. Having said all these, I can assure you that the service is doing its best to keep our borders safe.”

    The Special Adviser to Governor Fashola on Information and Strategy, Mr. Lateef Raji, told The Nation that the government is collaborating with security agencies and members of the public on the need to join hands to ensure the safety of the city. He said: “There is a basic and fundamental issue that guides all Nigerians. You can’t just pounce on Nigerian citizens; it is part of their fundamental human right to move from one part of the country to the other, except when they become a nuisance.

    So, it is always difficult to look at a person and identify such as an alien except the Nigeria Immigration Service intercepts such. Issues of immigration solely rest with the Federal Government and it is their responsibility to actually monitor the movement of aliens. But for us as a government, we can’t label anybody as alien.

    “What we do is for the agencies in charge to go out and monitor the activities and influx of people in a particular area. The security agencies are doing this and members of the public have been very helpful. The public notify us whenever they see any strange gathering, and we have responded immediately. We keep direct tab in those areas. “The Nigerian legal system assumes that you are innocent until proven guilty.

    It is not unusual that some of these criminals in the guise of riding okada commit serious crime, but it is also not fair for government to pick on them while doing their normal job. But what government is doing is that we are paying very keen attention. We have, in our public enlightenment campaign, notified citizens to alert us about any suspicious movement or item found in their neigbourhood.

    “All the phone numbers of the DPOs and the Commissioner of Police, are on our website. We are also going to print this out so that the average person will know who to call. The immigration now has to be alert in their duties. It is their primary duty not to allow aliens come into the country.

    But we are trying to reach out to them and anywhere we see such people, we will notify the immigration service.” In the same vein, the Hausa community at Mile 12 Market is not losing sleep over the threat of insecurity in Lagos. Speaking to The Nation, Alhaji Shehu Usman, the Financial Secretary of the group, urged residents to put their minds at rest, assuring that insurgents sect cannot operate in Lagos.

    Usman said: “We have told the people that there is no need to fear. Inside the Mile 12 market, we are organised and have the machinery that ensures that we know everybody inside the market. For instance, I can tell you the name of the person in a particular shed. “In the same way, we have leaders in each section of the market who reports any strange incident to the leadership of the market.

    Even those who bring foodstuffs from the North are monitored very well. We know all those who come in or go out of the market. So the issue of Boko Haram can never happen here.”

    A chieftain of the Motorcycle Riders Association of Lagos State (MOALS),Oja Oba Unit, Abule Egba, who identified himself simply as Comrade Niyi, said: “We have many Chadians and Nigeriens among us but we scrutinise them very well before admitting them as members.

    Initially, we didn’t take them because we feared that they might elope with the motorcycles given to them by owners, but we have since relaxed our rules to accommodate them when it became clear that they are only seeking legitimate means of livelihood.”

  • Ndanusa fears Bolt, other top stars

    Ndanusa fears Bolt, other top stars

    President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), Sani Ndanusa has expressed fears over the medal haul by Nigeria in this year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

    The former Minister of Sports told Sportinglife in Abuja at the weekend that two major things that may prevent Nigeria from winning more medals that she won the last time are funds and the presence of world stars such as Usain Bolt and other stars from Jamaica who have confirmed participation for the Games.

    The last Commonwealth Games held in New Delhi, India in 2010 did not parade stars like world and Olympics record holder Jamaican Usain Bolt, but the super star has confirmed readiness to hit Glasgow for these games likewise his female counterpart. There are other top stars from other Commonwealth nations that were not in Delhi and they have confirmed participation for the 2014 edition. So, it may be more difficult for Nigeria to win more medals that she won the last time.

    “Also funds may serve as a major stumbling block for Nigeria’s successful participation at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, ” the NOC boss said.

    “The participation standard is going to be very high so, we need to work hard and we need to repackage fully and that is where other things come to play like people that have not done very well, money issue. It is not always easy when you are embarking on a mammoth journey and you are starting the journey with gear 4, so you wonder how the car will move. Because, if less than 100 days to the Game and we do not have money then we are taking off with gear 4. Only God knows how the journey will be.

    “But having said that, Nigerians are very resilient and I can assure you that we will perform creditably well at the Game but we would have done better if the funding has come earlier.

    “There is a big difference between the Commonwealth games that took place in India and the one that is going to happen in Glasgow. You know Glasgow is in Europe and due to some reasons, security and otherwise, most of our top class athletes did not participate in India, so we see everybody coming for this games, all the top athletes will be participating. You know it is a mini Olympic which is taking place in Europe, the environment is right, the facilities are top class and everything is in place, so the condition is right for performance.”

    Ndanusa also disclosed that the National Sports Commission(NSC) and the Nigeria Olympic Commission(NOC) have resolved to put smiles on the faces of Nigerians and to wipe out the sad event of the 2012 Olympics where Nigeria failed to win a single medal. He said the Glasgow Games would be a better story for Nigeria despite the envisaged funding problem confronting sports generally.

    “The experience of London 2012 has taught us a lot of lessons, because it has given us useful information to know how to handle other events that we will attend, because once you have tasted failure you will not want to experience it again. And I want to thank the President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan for taking the decision of calling everybody together – the private sector, the sports administrators, and every other person –  to discuss this problem and chart a way forward,”, he said.

  • My 2015 elections fears, by Amaechi

    My 2015 elections fears, by Amaechi

    Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) Chairman Rotimi Amaechi is worried about the 2015 general elections.

    Nigeria needs to “be careful” and the people should be ready to defend democracy for there to be free and fair elections in 2015, the Rivers State governor said.

    Amaechi urged the Judiciary to be prepared to rescue the country from disputes that would result from unfair elections, as it had done in the recent past. He alluded to the NGF election, which polarised the forum.

    “Let us put it on record that the way things are going, we should be careful 2015 does not end in this manner, where people will win democratic election and those in power will not accept the result of a free and fair election,” Amaechi said, adding:

    “My lords, be prepared because we shall soon be coming to your court. We must defend democracy. We must defend Nigeria because we don’t have any other country.

    “My Lords we must be prepared. As you did in 2007. We must be prepared.

    “We have started again with tyranny and oppression. We must be prepared as a people to defend our rights. We must be prepared as a people to hold government accountable. We must be prepared to demand for accountability.”

    Amaechi spoke in Abuja at a symposium on “Review of the 1999 Constitution and its impact on the much-needed judicial reforms”, organised by a group, the Rule of Law Foundation.

    At the symposium were two former Chief Justices of Nigeria, Mohammadu Uwais and Dahiru Musdapher, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, Justice Sylvester Nguta, former Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) President Joseph Daudu and Ekiti State Attorney General Wale Fapohunda.

    Amaechi denied the claim by Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang that the NGF election was not transparent and that he (Jang) never participated.

    He said Jang voted, noting that the Plateau governor was among the first set of voters.

    The Rivers State governor described the Jang faction of the forum as another faction of the PDP forum.

    The governor, who faulted the position taken by the NBA on the dispute, described those supporting the Jang faction as “undemocratic”. He said all the governors at the NGF meeting where he was elected as chairman agreed to participate in the election.

    Said Amaechi: “NBA cannot afford to lose its voice. NBA has lost its voice. For NBA to see a free and fair election, where 35 governors that govern 35 states and make decisions for hundreds of million of people and for NBA to say ‘if you can not organise yourselves dissolve’. Then you have lost your voice.

    “I want to say it and I want to be put on record, anyone who supports the Jang faction is undemocratic.

    “We chose who should be the Returning Officer. We appointed our Director General to be the returning officer for the election. And we voted. Everybody voted, including Jang.

    “In fact, Jang was among the first persons to vote. And when I won, they were there. We were to commence voting for the chairmanship when my brother and colleague from Akwa Ibom got up and said ‘there is a document I had where 19 governors had signed’. And Jang said Northern Governors Forum supported him, but the same northern governors voted. They should have, therefore, voted for him. “He said PDP governors supported him at a meeting before the election, so they should have voted for him.

    “What Jang is leading is another faction of PDP Governors Forum and not the NGF, because there are no two governors forum

    “Therefore, anyone – NBA or government that supports Jang’s faction is undemocratic.”

    On the reported friction between him and his state’s Commissioner of Police, Mbu… Amaechi said: “ We must resist a situation where public officers without statutory authority would call the Inspector General of Police to change commissioner of police; we must resist it.”

    Ekweremadu, the Chairman, Senate Committee on the Review of the Constitution, said the review would not be submitted to referendum.

    He noted that the Constitution specified how it should be amended and that it did not include referendum.

    Ekweremadu stressed the need for urgent reform of the judiciary.

    He said: “With a morally upright and well-reformed judiciary that applies the letters of the law fairly and timely, the systems manipulation, overheating of our polity, reign of impunity in high and low places, the blatant disrespect for the law, and the rape of public treasury would abate considerably.”

    He said the proposal for judicial reform submitted by former CJN Musdapher was being considered.

    Ekweremade said the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution had presented a Bill and Report on proposed amendments to the Senate for consideration.

    The Deputy Senate President gave snippets of some of the recommendations of the committee to include: separation of the office of the Attorney General (AG) of the Federation from that of the Minister of Justice; Seven years tenure for Attorney General; financial autonomy for the AG as funds for the office will be made from the Consolidated Revenue Fund; Conferment of powers on the AG to investigate certain crimes and removal of the CJN and other serving judicial officers as members of the Federal Judicial Service Commission.

    He observed that it was not all the challenges facing the judiciary the require constitutional amendment but rather a change in mentality and attitudes.

    “It is not for lack of laws that some anti-corruption and other serious criminal cases involving the high and mighty have remained stagnant.”

    Daudu, who is also the coordinator of the Rule of Law Development Foundation, said the level of impunity in the country was worrisome.

    Justice Musdapher, in a keynote address, said there was no denying the fact that the judciairy had problems and needed to be reformed.

    The former CJN argued that the breakdown of law and order in the Nothereast might not be unconnected with the fact that people had lost faith in the nation’s laws and the justice delivery system.

    He observed that there was a disconnect between the people and the justice system.

    Justice Musdapher suggested that senior lawyers be appointed as judges so as to address the declining capacity in the judiciary. He advised that appointment of judges be made more transparent so that members of the public could appraise and make comments.

    Justice Musdapher said there was an urgent need to pass the bill for amendment of certain provisions of the constitution that affect the judiciary.

    Justice Musdapher and Ekweremadu praised the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloma Mukhtar, for her efforts at reforming the judiciary.

  • Keshi fears Ike Uche’s club delay

    Keshi fears Ike Uche’s club delay

    Super Eagles Coach, Stephen Keshi has expressed fears over the early arrival of Villareal of Spain striker Ikechukwu Uche in Faro, Portugal camp of the team.

    Keshi stated that the Spanish Segunga as at the time the camp would commence in Spain would still be on and may be very difficult to secure the release of the Eagles forward earlier than the 14 days FIFA stipulates for clubs to release players to their respective countries for major competition.

    “The clubs know when they have to release the players for the national team. We have spoken with our players and they have informed their various clubs about our intention (to have all our foreign based players within the stipulated period that FIFA approved).

    “The problem I may have with my players is with Ikechukwu Uche (Villareal) because he is playing in the second division in Europe when the league has not ended. So if we ask for Uche’s release before the (FIFA) stipulated it may be difficult for the club to release him to us,” he stated.

  • Adoke confirms our worst fears

    Adoke confirms our worst fears

    The police had sneered at the figures before. They will sneer even more violently again, notwithstanding the fact that those figures were reiterated by Mr Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice. Delivering a keynote address at a “national dialogue on torture, extra-judicial killings and national security” organised by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Abuja, Adoke quoted a report by the Network on Police Reform indicating that some 7,198 people had been killed by policemen in four years. He added that about 2,500 of the victims were detainees. The minister also suggested that the police had relied on Police Force Order 237, which allows the police to shoot any suspect or detainee trying to escape or avoid arrest, to carry out some of these questionable killings. However, he did not suggest that all the deaths were as a result of extra-judicial killings, though he thought police methods were forcing a rethink of the criminal justice system to take away the power of prosecution from the police. His conclusion was damning. Said he: “Although these figures have been stoutly disputed by the police, even the most charitable defenders of the Force cannot deny that some dishonourable officers indeed have taken the law into their hands in the most barbaric fashion by killing suspects and innocent citizens.”

    Coincidentally, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) was also on the same day and place worrying about extra-judicial killings, which it said were dehumanising Nigerians. The NBA President, Okey Wali (SAN), put it even more pithily than the Justice minister. Said he at a roundtable organised to mark the 2012 International Human Rights Day: “When rights are serially violated, the people are apprehensive, nervous and unsure of their humanity.” No statement can be more disapproving of the law enforcement agencies’ methods. With the Justice minister associating himself very strongly with the conclusion that police malfeasance is well known and on the rise, and the NBA focusing attention on the menace undermining the criminal justice system, perhaps there is hope that the will to do something about lawless law enforcement would be summoned. The police may dispute the allegations of extra-judicial killings levelled against them as much as they like, but the truth is that it is widely known to be their culture. And no one can doubt that it was a factor in the radicalisation of the Boko Haram Islamic militants.

    Rather than continue to pretend that the problem does not exist, or needlessly debate the scale, the police should do an honest introspection if they want to become the law enforcement agency of their, and dare we say, our, dream. The Justice minister should be encouraged to work more assiduously at transferring the responsibility of prosecution of suspects to the Justice ministry. It is a step in the right direction. The notorious Police Force Order 237 should also be reformed in line with modern and civilised standards of policing. But it is not enough to reform the system and establish police rules of engagement that do not affront our humanity; it is also important that allegations of extra-judicial killings must be investigated and culprits brought to book. As the Boko Haram terror is showing, it is impossible for any society, let alone an errant Police Force, to make progress and achieve stability on the foundations of so much injustice and unfairness. As the NBA president succinctly puts it, “Denying cases of extra-judicial executions and unlawful detentions in the face of overwhelming evidence can only diminish our prestige and respect in the comity of nations.”